Credit: NASA/MIT/B.Gaensler et al.

Chandra's image of the rapidly spinning neutron star, or pulsar, B1509-58 shows a central bright source surrounded by an extremely energetic and complex nebula. The blue and purple colors in the nebula indicate X-rays emitted by high-energy particles of matter and anti-matter produced by the quadrillion volt environment around the pulsar. In the lower left of the image, a thin jet almost 20 light years in length traces a beam of particles being shot out from the pulsar's south pole at more than 130 million miles per hour. The small arc just above the pulsar marks a shock wave produced by particles flowing away from the pulsar's equator.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2001/1175/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html